Dining

An iconic Italian restaurant that attracted a faithful following over nearly four decades is no more. Ristorante Agostino owners Agostino Fiasche and his wife, Anna Longobardi Fiasche, announced the “bittersweet ending” of their “second home away from home” with a Facebook post on Aug. 1, marking the closure of their restaurant at 2817 N. Harlem Ave. in Chicago. “When we migrated from Italy to start a new life in America, little did we know we would own a successful restaurant together with our family, cook for thousands of people, and meet so many wonderful clientele and staff we would call …

Two veteran chefs have opened Tutore, an Italian cooking school at 2755 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago, in the space that used to hold the Italian restaurant Pisolino. Pisolino Chef James De Marte partnered with his mentor, Dean Zanella, former executive chef at Chicago Cut Steakhouse, for the joint venture. Zanella met De Marte in the early ’90s when he hired him as his sous chef at Grappa, a now-closed Italian restaurant in Streeterville, Eater Chicago reported. The two bonded over their Italian heritage, passion for cooking big meals and how they tweaked their grandmothers’ recipes to make the dishes …

Executive Chef Marco Di Benedetto owned Joe and Joe’s pizzeria on the Northwest Side and then spent 23 years at Gibsons Restaurant Group before his latest gig at The Bellevue, a restaurant and lounge that opened in May at 1031 N. Rush St. in Chicago. Di Benedetto told WGN Radio 720 that for him The Bellevue is “a way to spread your wings and look at ingredients and how you can bring great things to make exciting foods.” When he goes to Italy, Di Benedetto said he travels with a suitcase inside of another suitcase, which he fills with cheese …

After growing up eating Italian beef sandwiches in McHenry, James Beard Award-winning Chef Jonathon Sawyer gave the Chicago staple “a massive upgrade” at Kindling at 202 S. Franklin St. in downtown Chicago. Sawyer told NBC 5 Chicago that he uses 8 ounces of Wagyu beef lightly poached in broth. He coats the bun with raclette cheese and adds local giardiniera from J.P. Graziani. “Spicy, beefy, cheesy … all the things we’re looking for,” the chef decanted. “To traditions, living on in a different form.” The Italian beef sandwich was born in the early 1900s in the Italian immigrant community in …

Portillo’s restaurant chain, headquartered in suburban Oak Brook, and Quartino restaurant, in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, have opened locations in The Colony in suburban Dallas. Portillo’s “was the biggest restaurant opening in early 2023 in North Texas,” with hourlong wait times initially, The Dallas Morning News reported. That was followed by Quartino’s July opening in a 15,000-square-foot, two-floor restaurant with dining rooms, bars and kitchens. Quartino Founder and Executive Chef John Coletta, a native of New York City, designed a menu that includes a salumeria case, homemade pasta, Neapolitan-style pizza and wines from all over Italy. The original Quartino opened …

The Chicago Food Stop celebrated National Italian Beef Day on May 26.  Operating out of a kiosk at 875 N. Michigan Ave., the pop-up promotes Chicago food producers, showcasing a new company each day and hosting special events. As National Italian Beef Day dawned, a line spread across Hancock Plaza and onto Michigan Avenue as staff from the Food Stop and Tri-Star Vending geared up to dish out hundreds of sandwiches made to order with options such as hot and mild peppers, giardiniera, and dipped or dry. Participants who bought products from the Food Stop were treated to a free …

Jim and Al Biancalana turned over the reins of Elmcrest Banquets in November, ending a remarkable run that spanned two generations and nine decades. Located in Elmwood Park, The Elmcrest has been catering to the needs of countless customers since it opened its doors in 1994. But the Biancalana family was in the food service business for decades, and recently celebrated its 90th year in business. Begun as a small ice cream parlor in 1929 by Al Biancalana Sr., the business grew into Biancalana’s Restaurant and Banquets. During this time, Al Sr. was joined by his three sons, Al, Jim …

U.S. Pizza Team members competed in the “5° Pizza por Pasión” Spanish Pizza Championship in Granada, Spain, on Oct. 8 and took home numerous awards in several categories of competition. Team members representing the U.S. in the culinary division included USPT Culinary Coach Gino Rago and Bruno Brunetti of Panino’s Pizza in Chicago; USPT athletic director Dave Sommers of Mad Mushroom in West Lafayette, Ind.; and Sean Dempsey of Dempsey’s Brewery Restaurant & Pub in Watertown, S.D. Competing for the team in the freestyle acrobatics division were Missy Green and Caroline Felker, former USPT members and representatives of PMQ Pizza …

Legendary Chicago pizzeria Trattoria Porretta (trattoriaporretta.com) is adding a little sweet and a little heat to your pizza life. Developed in collaboration with pizza media company Forza Pizza (forzapizza.com), the Sweet Heat and Sweet Fire are the newest additions to the pizza menu at Porretta’s. Both are topped with pepperoni and a drizzle of hot honey, with the Sweet Fire packing extra heat with added jalapenos.

If you’ve ever dined at Gioacchino’s Restaurant in Bellwood, you know what good old-fashioned, made-from-scratch Italian cooking tastes like. During the summer months, many of the ingredients in Gioacchino’s time-honored recipes are literally homegrown in the garden that surrounds the house in Addison where Nella and Jack Curatolo have lived for 43 years. While Nella is the undisputed queen of the kitchen at Gioacchino’s, Jack is the acknowledged king of the family garden. He only has a “little acre” to work with, but oh, what a bounty it yields. Among the vegetables you’ll find are beefsteak, cherry, plum and heart …